Obliviate! COMPLETE
by chrusotoxos
Summary: It is time for you to set aside your differences and trust each other. But is Severus Snape trustworthy? There isn't much time to decide...Twelfe hours can change your life or destroy it.
1. 7 pm: Is It My Birthday?

Disclaimer – JKR owns everything, as it's right, and I don't own anything, except the plot and the sacred right to steal from real literature...

_My story begins and ends in a time of 12 hours, after the end of the 5th book. I would have liked to set it before, because of Sirius, but he's gone, and I think it's better if even us people out here accept that._

_My grammar is undoubtedly dreadful, sorry everyone, since English isn't my native language. But I've read all the HP books in English, and to imagine those characters speaking another language was simply impossible._

_Read, review and have fun..._

**Chapter 1**

7 pm – Is it my birthday?

Harry Potter was lying on his bed, not even remotely looking as The Boy Who Lived. In fact, he looked like someone who was barely surviving, without bothering about anything anymore.

What was left for him to survive for, anyway?

When Sirius had been killed...

Harry rolled on his stomach and buried his face into the pillow. He was _not_ going to think about that again.

But what else was there to think about? There had to be something... Harry remembered something about leaving number 4, Privet Drive. Dumbledore had said he was going to send someone of the Order to pick him up. Ron and Hermione were already at the Headquarters, as their short and useless notes said. Harry had mixed feelings about being back at twelve, Grimmauld Palace: as much as he wanted to be with his friends, and be of use to the Order, he didn't know if he could bear to be in that house again.

The door of his room opened and Dudley Dursley appeared on the threshold.

"So, cousin, isn't it your birthday?"

Harry rolled on his back again.

"Is it?" he said, bored.

Dudley was taken aback, but recovered quickly.

"Yeah, I think it is. Haven't your freaky friends sent you cards?" he said, in a tone of mock concern.

"No," Harry replied flatly.

"What about your _true_ family? That madman godfather of yours?"

Harry didn't answer.

"Forgotten you, has he?"

Harry looked at his cousin. Dudley hadn't changed, except that he was taller, larger and more menacing than ever. As for the shadow of idiocy in his eyes, well, that couldn't really go worse, could it? Nobody could get more stupid than that, in Harry's opinion, not even trying hard.

"He's probably a loser too, just like your parents," Dudley was saying. "He surely hasn't got enough money to buy you a cake – and probably doesn't care."

"Go away, Dudley."

"Don't you want me to talk about dear uncle Sirius?"

Harry jumped out of his bed, suddenly furious. When Sirius was mentioned, he felt either dead himself, either ready to kill.

Especially ready to kill one person that wasn't there at the moment – but squeezing his eyes, Harry could imagine Dudley in a black cloak, with long, greasy hair covering his shoulders...

Seeing the wand and the look on Harry's face, Dudley yelled and thundered back into the kitchen, leaving Harry standing there, breathing hard, the face of his Potions Master still hanging on the wall. Dumbledore could talk as much as he wanted to, but Severus Snape was second on his list of Sirius' killers, just after Bellatrix. The one thing he dreaded more than being in the Black's house again was being back at Hogwarts again, forcing himself to sit calmly in front of that man.

Harry forced himself to drop his wand before he performed an illegal curse on something, and buried his face in his hands.

_Sirius..._


	2. 8 pm: An Unexpected Visitor

**Obliviate!**

by heos

Disclaimer — JKR owns everything, as it's right, and I don't own anything, except the plot and the sacred right to steal from real literature...

**Chapter 2**

8 pm — An Unexpected Visitor

_I couldn't resist to pay homage to Edward Albee –_ _Ten Galleons and a Chocolate Frog to whoever finds out which line has been written by Edward Albee, and possibly what the original context was. And if you haven't read _Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?_, you should be cursed to baldness…_

A loud knock on the door shook Harry out of his rêverie.

"Yes?" he croaked.

Uncle Vernon's face, very red, appeared through a tiny opening.

"Come on, boy!" he hissed. "Someone of your kind is here to take you."

Harry's heart gave a jolt. The Order had finally come for him. He was finally going to be back where he belonged.

While uncle Vernon face disappeared again, he went to the desk and tried to stuff all his books into his trunk, with the result that _The Monster Book of Monsters_, which had hidden inside it, started to chase them out again.

Harry swore and put out his wand, ready to Stun it, but the book went suddenly quiet. Looking at the mess on the floor, Harry fingered his wand and thought quickly about Tonks. Maybe…

But no. The Underage Thingy Treaty had not been lifted yet. It was way better to go down and tell them he still had to do the packing.

Harry was so excited (for the first time in weeks he felt something different from pain, fury and despair) that he galopped downstairs, making a loud noise. But Aunt Petunia surely would not dare to scold him before a real, adult wizard…

Who was it going to be?

When Harry entered the living room, he was half expecting to see Lupin's lined, smiling face.

And his heart missed a beat.

Standing in the centre of the room, arms folded, a black travelling cloak around his shoulders, was Professor Snape. He was scowling at him with his most unpleasant expression.

Uncle Vernon and Dudley were nowhere to be seen, thus proving once for all that they weren't completely unintelligent. Aunt Petunia, however, was either too polite or too scared to move, and was sitting in one of the armchairs, her mouth a tight line.

"Potter," Snape said, "I trust you have not lost all your possessions?"

Harry was so disappointed, and so shocked to see the living counterpart of the image he had been blasting apart for three weeks, that he was lost for words.

"Have I not been clear enough for your dumb ears?" Snape repeated dangerously. "Go and find your trunk. We're leaving."

"Why you?" Harry stammered.

"Your _trunk_," Snape said again, his eyes flashing.

Harry knew that what he really wanted to say was dangerous, but it was now or never — and they weren't inside Hogwarts yet…he could not take points…

"How do I know you're not going to sell me to Voldemort?"

Aunt Petunia moved her eyes from the stranger to her nephew, trying to understand what was going on.

Snape was even paler than usual.

"I thought you had cleared that matter during your little chats with the Headmaster, Potter," he replied dryly. "Now for the last time, go and get ready."

Harry didn't move.

Snape took out his wand and traced a step forwards.

"We're going to your room, Potter. It appears I have to pack for you."

He began to walk slowly towards Harry, and Harry saw nothing to do but retreat towards the stairs. But he could feel his wand with his fingers, and his heart was thumping madly inside his chest…when Snape was off-guard…if _ever_ he was off-guard…

The moment his hand moved beneath his sweater, he felt an iron-like grip around his wrist, and was forced to turn round.

"I've been fighting since before you were born, boy. You can't play this game with me. "

Harry looked straight at him, but didn't answer. _You bat_, he thought_, you wait…You just wait, I'll make you pay…_

Snape's eyes were boring into his, and a dry smile suddenly curved his lips.

"Your memory is inded very poor, Potter…After three weeks spent thinking even less than usual you forget that I'm a Legilimens…very poor," he whispered. "I'm following Dumbledore's orders, and it is out of the question for you to do magic, whether to attack me or to run away."

Harry didn't answered, but he closed his fist on his wand furiously.

"Are we understood?"

"Yes," Harry replied in an undertone.

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir," Harry said, wanting to strangle him.

He opened the door of his room and heard Snape sniff in disapproval.

Well, it wasn't a very nice sight. Books and dirty clothes were mingled everywhere, and Hedvig's cage smelled horribly.

"_Scourgify_," Snape said, pointing his wand at the cage.

The dark man turned to have a better vision of the room. He seemed to be considering the quickest way to pack everything.

Suddenly, Harry's glares in his direction were distracted.

A red and gold bird had appeared in his bedroom, his sparkling plumage reflecting the last sunlight.

"Fawkes?" he said, hopefully.

But the bird ignored him and went directly to Snape, dropping a note in his hand. Fawkes perched on Snape's shoulder while he was reading, and the moment he looked up, the phoenix took the note away, circled twice around his head, and then he was gone.

Snape steadied his grip on his wand and did a quick movement.

Next moment, Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed in the room.

"I need you to go immediately," he said.

"Where did he take them?" Snape said, his lips barely moving.

"This is for you to know and for us to find out."

"And what…?"

"Delay, Severus. Take time. We'll probably arrive in three hours."

"In three hours they'll be dead," Snape replied flatly.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said, unable to restrain himself longer. "What's happening? Who's been attacked?"

The voice was silent for a moment.

"Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," it said eventually.


	3. 9 pm The Ignored Command

Disclaimer — JKR owns everything, as it's right, and I don't own anything, except the plot and the sacred right to steal from real literature...

_Are you liking_ _it? Are they in character? Please review!_

**Chapter 3**

9 pm — The Ignored Command

"WHAT?" Harry yelled. "How...? Where...?"

"Professor Snape is going to Apparate there now, Harry. We'll do our best to save them," the voice said, trying to soothe him.

"Snape will do his best to _kill_ them, just as he did for SIRIUS!"

Harry felt all the hatred and the fury which had been filling his body since Sirius' death explode inside him. And the vision of Snape's face, impassibly looking down at him, did nothing to soothe him.

"Harry..." Dumbledore's voice started to say.

"Why aren't YOU going there?" Harry said, breathing fast.

"Harry, I wouldn't know where to go. Professor Snape has re-integrated Voldemort's circle – the Dark Mark will take him there."

"Enough of this, Potter," Snape said flatly. "You're shortening their chances with your babbling."

"Harry, please stay there. I will send someone to pick you up tomorrow morning," the voice said, in a very final tone. "Severus, set out immediately and be careful."

The mighty presence of Albus Dumbledore vanished from the room, leaving behind it an indifferent-looking Snape and a furious Harry.

"I'm coming with you," said Harry at once.

"You're not," Snape replied softly. "You heard what the Headmaster said."

"I'm not staying here and waiting for my friends to be killed!" Harry yelled. "I have to help them!"

"Wrong, Potter. You have to survive." Snape said, even more softly, and Harry understood that he was talking about the prophecy. The thought that everyone – including that despicable ex Death Eater bat – everyone except himself had been aware of the prophecy made him even more furious.

"You have to sacrifice everything on your path in order to be prepared to fight the Dark Lord," Snape continued, with a strange expression on his face.

"And now get out of my way."

Snape pushed him aside and disappeared through the door. Harry followed him.

The house seemed to be empty. Presumably the Dursleys had decided to let the madmen finish off each other and were now barricated in one of the sleeping rooms.

Once in the quiet street outside, Snape turned once again towards Harry.

"I thought the question was closed."

"It's not! I won't let you kill them as you killed Sirius!"

To Harry's surprise, Snape slapped him hard on the mouth. Harry tasted blood. Snape had a minglel look in his eyes – disgust and worry.

"Shut up, you stupid brat! We're in the Muggle world," he hissed.

"I don't care. I want to-"

But Snape, now hidden behind a fence, had taken out his wand and was looking at him grimly.

"Either you go back to your aunt and uncle house by yourself, or I'll do a Full Body Bind on you this instant and _send_ you there."

Harry calculated his chances quickly, avoiding eye-contact. Snape would never let him go. But maybe he could trick him...Harry didn't know how to Apparate, but he knew a spell that would bound you completely to another person. Maybe...and it was, after all, his only chance.

He turned to go, but when he felt a warm feeling from behind him he snapped around and threw himself towards Snape.

"_Vincula!_" he yelled.

The next moment, the two of them had disappeared.


	4. 10 pm Will You Trust Me?

Disclaimer — JKR owns everything, as it's right, and I don't own anything, except the plot and the sacred right to steal from real literature...

**Chapter 4**

10 pm — Will You Trust Me?

Harry was knocked out by the violence of the spell. Kneeling on the grass, fighting to keep everything in his stomach, he thought happily that the spell had worked – and then he saw before him the black boots of his teacher. He had almost forgotten about Snape.

But there he was.

Angry.

Very angry.

Harry felt something strong pulling him to his feet and found himself standing before Snape.

"What-have-you-done?" he hissed. "Have you the faintest idea of where we are?"

"I'm here to save them," Harry said, trying to seem proud in spite of his nausea.

Snape gripped his arm till it hurt, then let go, still looking at him angrily.

"You are lucky, Potter. I do not sense the presence of the Dark Lord. Apparently your friends were captured for some fun, and he didn't come."

Snape looked down at him, as though weighing him.

"There _may_ be a chance for you to save your skin."

"I do not want to save my skin," Harry hissed back, and he truly felt like that. After Sirius' death, nothing was important. Except Ron and Hermione's lives, of course.

"You truly are a living portrait of your dear godfather," Snape said, sending waves of fury under Harry's skin. "You are ready to sacrifice thousands of people for a child's grudge."

"You were ready to murder an innocent man for a child's grudge."

Snape's eyes flashed.

"He's dead, Potter. He died for you. Is it too much to ask from great Harry Potter to live to be our hero?"

Harry gritted his teeth, but didn't answer. A part of him knew that Snape was right, and he hated that feeling.

"We're losing time," he said instead of voicing what he was thinking.

"As I imagine I can't ask you to stay here and wait for me..."

Harry shook his head.

"...then I will ask you to trust me."

Snape curled his lips, seeing Harry fighting with himself.

Snape had saved his life before...Dumbledore trusted him...he had sent him _here_ to save his friends...and Hermione trusted him too. But not Ron. Who was right?

Harry put his pride aside, and decided to follow Dumbledore's decisions. After all, he had never been wrong.

Except for Mad-Eye "Barty Crouch" Moody, said a voice in his head.

But he quickly shushed it.

"What do we do?"

In that moment, the moment he saw a mingled expression in Snape's eyes and his mouth open to answer, a voice echoed behind them.

"Who's there?"

Snape's reflexes were very quick. He grabbed Harry's wrist, took his wand from his belt, hiding it under his black cloak, and pushed Harry forward with a violent thrust, all in one movement. Before Harry could react, Snape said:

"Crabb, is that you?"

"Snape?" the voice said.

And a massive silouhette emerged through the trees. Harry shivered. He had seen this man once before. He felt Snape's wand pushing him, and he walked forward.

Suddenly another man appeared, and Harry stopped dead. He remembered that face, but who was he?

The second man whistled through his teeth.

"Merlin's beard, Snape. How did you do that?"

"Dumbledore sent all his men to rescue your hostages, Lestrange, and Potter was a fruit to pluck," said Snape. "I'm on my way to the Serpent's Den."

Crabbe and Lestrange stared avidly at him, and Harry balled his hands into fists, remembering that Bellatrix was married to that man. Bellatrix Lestrange...and he was scarcely less dangerous than she was: togheter they had tortured the Longbottoms. All of a sudden, he hoped that Snape knew what he was doing.


End file.
